This week Horizon: An American Saga, Part 1 opens in theaters. It’s the beginning of a western series from director/star Kevin Costner. In his long career, he’s done many films but some of his most iconic have been westerns. This week, in honor of his new film’s release, I’m looking back at Costner’s previous westerns. Films appear on chronological order.

Silverado (1985)
About: This is one of his early films, and one of my favorite westerns ever. Costner has a fun role here. I remember being introduced to this film by my Dad and even nearly 40 years later it remains a personal favorite. Costner is great here.

Dances With Wolves (1990)
About: Costner earned an Oscar as a producer when this won Best Picture, collecting nominations for his performance and directing here, too. The film follows a Union officer assigned to a remote outpost who befriends the neighboring tribe. It’s a sweeping epic and a classic of the genre.

Wyatt Earp (1994)
About: There were dueling projects about the friendship between the famous lawman and Doc Holliday. This is the less well known of the two, featuring Costner as Earp and Dennis Quaid as Holliday. It’s longer and feels like a sweeping epic, but it’s missing some of the panache of Tombstone, which has led to it being somewhat lost to history.

The Postman (1997)
About: This is a different kind of western, which finds Costner as a man that dons a postal worker uniform to spread hope in a post-apocalyptic America. There’s a lot that sounds funny about that description, but I will say this movie is better than people gave it credit for being. I know it earned Razzie Awards, but I actually kind of liked it. It is a bit long, though.

Open Range (2003)
About: This is a return to a more classic western, with Costner again taking the director’s chair. This one is about a former gunslinger who is forced back into action to defend his ranch from a corrupt lawman. Costner and Robert Duvall are good here. I really enjoyed this film and the style here.

Hatfields & McCoys (2012)
About: This was a mini-series taking on the story of these families. Costner played the lead of the Hatfields here, inhabiting another iconic and classic character. It wasn’t bad for a TV mini-series.

Never Let Him Go (2020)
About: Another modern western, where Costner and Diane Lane play parents who are forced to intercede to protect their son’s widow and grandchild. This film got lost in the shuffle a bit as it was released in the middle of a pandemic, but it was one of my favorites of the year. The action sequences really work well here.

Yellowstone (2018-)
About: Yes, it’s a television series. Yes, it’s set in the modern world. And, yes, it borrows an initial structure from The Godfather. And yet, it’s one of the best and more compelling western series I’ve seen. Costner is great as John Dutton. If you haven’t seen it, this series is worth checking out.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.